Project PIKACHU
by Ketchum Kid
Summary: Meet Teresa, your average American orphaned teen with boy issues. Meet her stuffed Pikchau, her trusty comfort blanket. Meet Pokemon Wayne Network, one of the top Pokemon clubs for High Schoolers in New Jersey. Now meet Pikachu, the not-so-stuffed-and-very-much-alive Pikachu. Follow their adventures to get the Electric Mouse Pokemon back home.
1. The Girl with the Worst and Best Luck

7/30/07

"Sorry, guys," said Trinity. "Gyarados, use your Dragon Rage!"

12/25/11

"Sorry, guys," said Trinity. "Gyarados, use your Dragon Rage!"

_Obviously, Neith4 has dropped off the face of the Earth, at least for anyone concerned with his/her stories. __**The Pika Project**__, the most successful of the six under that name, ended, and still ends with the above line. The Authors Notes at the end state to find her if the story waited too long for an update, but by now, it's far too late for that. The story, started just as GenIII returned to Kanto, was last updated on the onset of GenIV. Now that we're on Gen5, it would take a major overhaul to keep the story viable._

_Which is why I'm taking the basic idea of the story, putting it through my own ideas (another story set at Paladin Central), and spitting it back out. Enter my second reclamation project, __**Project P.I.K.A.C.H.U.**__. Bear in mind that this is done to revive an age-old idea of Pokemon appearing in our world by accident, and that the original idea belongs to Neith4. Think of this as a Fanfiction of a Fanfiction, if you will, that replaces all of the characters (some you may recognize from my other stories), and hopefully does not end on a cliffhanger. Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Project: P.I.K.A.C.H.U.<strong>

**Chapter 1: The Girl with the Worst (and Best) Luck**

It was yet another cold and snowy winter on the east coast. Gusts of wind blew the fluffy masses down off the lawns and fields so as to pile onto the streets. Over in Wayne, the Packanack Lake was frozen into a solid mass of ice, covered by a foot of snow. Adventurous teenagers occasionally walked out over the ice, but the masses of society did the smart thing and stayed indoors.

It was in this mess that a woman by the name of Bridget Fitzgerald found herself driving along the lake. A convenience store owner in her fifties, she had been on the bad side of luck from birth. Her mother died shortly after Bridget's birth, leaving her in the care of a rather alcoholic, abusive father. Couple that with a few devastating marriages, and it was easy to see that she did not like men at all. Still, she didn't let that stop her from living life like she wanted to. Her convenience store was the best on the lake, she donated what she didn't need to charity, and most of all, she spent much time with the children in the park by her store. Of course, on a day like this, there were no children in the park to play with. After all, the swingset was under a foot or more of snow. Her blue '96 Ford F-150 trudged through the covered streets, the high beams barely showing what was ahead.

'_This is bad,'_ she thought. _'I might have been better off just kicking it low back at the shop.' _ She rounded a bend, and was passing the small beach on the opposite side of the lake. The docks now looked like undulating hills on the fields of snow. Suddenly, the wind kicked up, and her truck nearly blew off the side of the road. "Woah!" Bridget brought the pickup to a stop, hoping that was the worst of it. It wasn't.

"**GUYAAAA!-!"** A shrieking cry from above compelled Bridget to get out of the truck and look up. There, with her long brown hair flowing in the wind, she saw a bird…that was at least twenty, no, thirty feet long. It swooped high overhead, as if it was in a hurry. Without warning, a beam of energy came from further above, striking the flying creature. It cried in pain, before careening to the lake. The ice shattered completely, as the beast plunged into the watery abyss. A wave of Icy water rushed in all directions, coming to the side of the road Bridget was on, before retreating back into the lake, towards the now-submerged creature.

Suddenly, Bridget's attention was diverted to a small, pale object on the beach. She squinted, and realized that it was actually a small girl! Bridget scrambled to the wet beach, her green boots crunching the snow as she went. Within seconds, she reached the girl, and without thinking, took her back into the truck. She placed the girl in her passenger's seat, and gave her the blue snow coat she was wearing. Now there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it: medical supplies and home remedies were better available to her at her store. She turned the truck around, and hurried back.

Now that she was in a place where the AC was cranked up, Bridget's attention fell on the girl. She looked no bigger than six years of age, and was soaked through the bone because of the water. She had long, blonde hair that fell down her back to her knees, and was wearing…a red kimono? Not what you'd expect in the snowy tri-state area. More peculiar about her was the fact that she was holding a stuffed doll of sorts. It was yellow with black stripes, red cheeks, and a partially brown tail. It was nothing like she never saw before, yet it looked so familiar to her at the same time. The doll was held by a hand that was looped through the tail, and was clenched closely to the girl's heart.

A jarring bump up signaled that Bridget was halfway to the store. It also woke up the girl. "Nnh…uh…"

"Easy there," Bridget told her. "Stay in the coat. It'll keep you warm." The young girl looked at Bridget with confusion. "You were swept up in that wave on the lake. I'm really shocked that your parents let a girl your age wander on the ice like that. Usually it's only the teens who try stuff like that."

"…Parents…I have none…I'm all alone…" Bridget would have looked at her had she not been driving. A homeless girl, here in the middle of Wayne?

"But you have that mouse doll…thing," Bridget pointed out.

"That's right…" the girl shivered. "I still have Pikachu…" That's when Bridget remembered where she saw the doll before. It was from that newfangled game from Japan called Pokemon. All the kids at her store were playing it there, and a few of the younger ones had stuffed toys of them.

"I'm bringing you to my store," Bridget told the girl. "We'll get you dry and warm, and then we can decide what to do next. Do you have a name?" The girl shook her head.

"I can't remember." Bridget frowned. A person's name should be the most important thing that a person has. She racked her head for something to call her.

"Umm…hmmh…Do you mind if I call you Teresa?"

"That sounds like a pretty name," the girl said. "I don't mind…what's yours?"

"Bridget." The young girl smiled.

"That's pretty too…you're very nice."

"Well, I can't just leave you in the cold after all." The truck pulled into the parking lot. "Right, let's get you all better now." Bridget stopped the car. The wind passed right through her as she stepped into the snow, but that was a pittance to saving a life. She went over to the passenger side, took the little Teresa out, and carried her into the warmth and comfort of the store.

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><p><strong>!SLAM!<strong> The force of the slammed door shook the entire house. Bridget, on the couch in the living room, didn't need to be told what that meant. She got up and headed for the door. It had been ten years since that fateful evening, and things had changed in Bridget's life much more than her greying head of hair. Nobody ever found that creature that fell from the sky, nor did anyone know exactly what downed it. It did generate good publicity, though, and for a time, Bridget's business ran better than normal. As for Teresa, since there were no known relatives anywhere, and since the foster home was the only place that Bridget would not donate to, she stayed with her. Teresa was given every freedom and opportunity that Bridget allowed her to have, which gave the young girl very good grades, a flute and piccolo, and a scholarship to the most famous private school in Wayne, Paladin Central High. However, there was one thing that the girl shared in common with her stepmom…and it wasn't one either of them wanted her to have…

"Lemmie guess…that DeJesus guy dumped you, didn't he?" Poor Teresa was in a mess. Her long dirty blonde hair was now only down to her hips, but it was in a tizzy, as if it had been pulled out in several directions out of frustration. Her blue eyes were ready to pour out a river at any moment, and an occasional snivel could be heard.

"I'm cursed, Bridget!" the teen cried. "I'm never going to have the happy ending! He-he tried to beat me! On our first date!"

"I told you that he was bad news, but you didn't believe me, nor did you believe me with that Melano guy last week, or the Sandberg person a month ago. Now, if you had asked out that Gregory Richards guy -!"

"H-He's older than me by two years! And I suspect that he has feelings for Alex! Besides, with your luck, I'd be back to square one in three days!" Bridget took minor offense to that.

"My luck? Dear, I gave you many things, but my luck with men was not one of them." She tried to put a hand on her stepdaughter's shoulder, but it was slapped away.

"Liar! J-Just leave me alone for now!" Teresa ran up to her room on the second floor. Bridget sighed. Every week, this scenario played out. Teresa would say that she had a boyfriend, and within a week, the relationship would break up in disaster, and the poor girl would come crying home. It wasn't that she didn't have nice guy friends; it was just that she asked the wrong ones out. Just like she had done.

Suddenly, Bridget whipped around to face the door. Something had caught her eye. She hastily opened the door, and tried to look around for the source of the object, but to no avail. That tiny glimpse had been enough, though, to convince her that it was not from something she had ever seen before. It had been a glimpse of a tail. A pink tail, to be precise.

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><p>Teresa ran to her bed, shedding her puffy blue coat and her Hufflepuff scarf as she did so. There was only one thing that could really comfort her now. The one connection with her past that she still had access to (the kimono had long since been framed). Since childhood, the Pikachu doll had been a source of comfort and joy, like a safety blanket. Teresa found it on her pure white bed covers, and careening into the mattress, she scooped it upon landing. There, she cried her eyes out. Her hair covered the entirety of the stuffed toy.<p>

"Please, Pikachu!" the girl cried. "Help me…! (Hic!) Tell me that this is all just a bad dream, and that I have a nice boyfriend (Hic!)!" She grasped the toy tighter. For some reason, it felt warmer than usual, but she dismissed that to the heater in the room. It had always been cranked too high, anyways.

"P-Pi…Pi-ka…" Teresa thought she heard a muffled voice coming from the stuffed toy.

"Oh, great!" She muttered. "I'm in such despair that I'm thinking that this toy actually talks! I really need music now to help me…" She released the grip on her best friend (and thought she heard the thing gasp for air), and went to turn on her radio. Another hiccup jerked her hand away from the power button, and onto the head of her Pikachu doll that had been lying right beside it –

'_Wait, since when was Pikachu here?' _ She hadn't carried it in her hand when she went to put music on, so it couldn't have just moved there. But sure enough, the cool felt skin of her doll was touched by her slightly trembling fingers. _'If Pikachu's there, then what's on my…?'_

Teresa quickly turned around to face the Pikachu that was on her bed, expecting to meet black eyes with a small white dot near the top. She did.

The eyes then proceeded to blink twice, followed by the cock of the Pikachu's head to its left.

"Pi, Pikachu?"

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><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_This is yet another incarnation of Paladin Central. However, characters from the previous two incarnations will appear._

_Meaning of the title: It sucks not to have a nice boyfriend, but who wouldn't want a live Pikachu? :P_

_Anyway, that's all for now. I'd give a preview, but you can probably guess from looking at the basis of this story. Merry Christmas, everybody! And check out the rest of my works as well!_


	2. School Shocker

_The second story of the 2012 season is the second chapter of Project P.I.K.A.C.H.U! Hopefully, now some people that aren't my regulars will begin to notice this story. Anyway, enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: School Shocker<strong>

There was only one reaction suitable for Teresa to do when faced with a situation like the one at present: Yelp in surprise, jump up off the bed, and back into the dresser, knocking over a small mirror in the process.

"W-W-What the heck?-!" She took a second to rub her watery eyes, seeing if the Pikachu before her was merely a mirage. It wasn't. "Why are you here?-!"

"Pi-pika! Ka-pikachu-pi-pi-pikachu, pika!"

"Wait-wait-wait! I have no idea what you're saying!" Ironically, the 'no idea' actually gave her an idea. "That's it! A few simple yes-or-no questions!"

"Pika?"

"I'll say questions that can only be answered by a nod, yes, or a shake, no." Before she could start, she heard the sound of footsteps on the staircase. "Eep!" She quickly grabbed Pikachu, and hastily placed the Electric Mouse Pokemon in the top drawer.

"Pi?-! Pika-!"

"Quiet! My mom's coming up, so stay hidden." Before Pikachu could protest, Teresa shoved the drawer into the dresser. At the same time, Bridget opened the door to Teresa's room, and entered inside.

"Teresa, are you okay? I thought I heard you fall just before."

"I-I-I'm fine, Bridget!" Teresa hastily replied. "J-Just a bit jittery over today!" In the midst of discovering Pikachu, she had almost forgotten that she had a horrible relationship only hours ago.

"Are you sure? Being beaten on the first date is not something you can take lightly. Trust me, I've had that happen to me more than a few times."

"Yeah…I guess…" Bridget sat at the foot of Teresa's bed.

"Speaking of that, don't you have something to say to me?"

"I'm sorry for shouting at you before. You never passed your luck with boys to me." A wry smile formed upon Bridget's lips.

"That sounded a bit reluctant…should I accept it? I can't have some delicious, hot tortellini pasta dish sit on the stove uneaten…" Teresa gasped.

"Y-You wouldn't dare!" Bridget made no response that she wasn't. "Y-Yes! I'm truly sorry! Please forgive me!"

"That sounds legitimate, so I'll let you have dinner. And I should apologize, too." Teresa blinked.

"Huh?"

"I know how much you admire Greg, especially since he gets to go down to Walt Disney World every year, but I shouldn't presume that it would lead to love and romance. Jerry, on the other hand…"

"Mom!" Teresa made a face of half-disgust, half giggle, and the two friends, who just minutes ago were yelling with each other, were now laughing in happiness.

"I guess I'll give you dinner tonight; it's your favorite four-cheese stuffed tortellini dish. Come down in twenty." Bridget turned around to leave, but then stopped. "Oh yeah, I noticed some footprints out in the snow just before, so there might be a raccoon or a bear cub that woke up from hibernation too early. Be careful going outside." She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. When the teenager heard her walk down the stairs, she turned back to the drawers.

"I don't think that what Bridget saw out there was a raccoon was, do you?" She opened the drawer – and couldn't help but giggle. Pikachu had been hastily moved into the drawer, and as a result, had not really chosen a proper landing spot. Currently, the Electric Mouse Pokemon had a pink sock over the top half of the tail, and the white shell of a brazier sat awkwardly over the Pokemon's ears.

"Pikachu?"

"I'm sorry, Pikachu. But you look like you had a fashion disaster worse than Brittney Spears's!" The joke was lost on a mouse who had no idea who Brittney Spears is.

"Ka-chu?" Pikachu hopped out of the drawer, shedding his extra layers, and settled on the shelf of the drawer. "Pi-pikachu, pi-pi-chu!" Teresa finally stopped laughing, and dried a tear from her eye.

"Alright, I'm good." She paused, realizing what just happened. "Whaddya know, Pikachu. You got me cheered up after today's events." The Electric Mouse Pokemon cheered with her.

"Pikachu!"

"Now that we have no more interruptions, we can get to where we were going at before! First, you are a male Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded his head.

"Chu."

"You definitely are real, right?"

"Chu."

"Do you know how you got here?" Pikachu shook his head.

"Pi-ka…"

"Do you have a trainer?"

"Pika-pi! Pika, pikapi-pika-pikachu-pi-pika-!"

"Slow down, Pikachu! I can't read lips!" She paused. "I'm guessing that you love your trainer a lot, huh?"

"Chu!"

"You must also miss him or her, is that right?" Pikachu's ears drooped down, and a melancholy look fell upon his face.

"Chuu…" Teresa picked up the Electric Mouse Pokemon, embracing him in a tight hug.

"You poor thing…I know how you feel. I don't remember who my real parents are. All I've known to be family is Bridget. Don't worry, Pikachu; I'll personally see that you get back to your trainer. I don't know how to do so, or where to look, but I won't stop looking for the world, yours and mine." The Electric Mouse Pokemon looked at her with contemplation, before breaking into a large smile.

"Pi-pikachu!" Teresa giggled.

"I guess you're onboard with that, huh? Alright, I'll see if there's any snacks left over for the two of us. It's definitely not PokeChow, but I imagine you're starving." Consequently, a loud gurgling noise sounded. But it was not from Pikachu, who was trying hard not to laugh. Teresa, meanwhile, went flush red.

"Pi-pi-pika-pika-pi!"

"Hey! I haven't had dinner yet, so don't start going all lol on me!" She turned, heading downstairs with a small smirk on her face. Clearly, this house was going to have to endure a rather cheeky mouse.

* * *

><p>One rather uneventful weekend of bonding with her new rodent friend later, Teresa was ready to return to the one place that every young adult hated: school.<p>

"And I forgot to do my Algebra work that was due today. Lovely." Poor Teresa groaned, as she pulled her golden top shirt over her head. "Alright, Pikachu. You can come out now." The drawer to a nightstand opened up, and a familiar yellow mouse popped his head out of it. The drawer had never been used before , so it was an easy task to convert it into a living space. Using an old pillowcase stuffed with cotton, a small bed was created, with enough material left over to fashion a cover to provide some protection, should Bridget decide to open the drawer up. An old Game Boy Advanced SP was turned on inside, plugged into its charger in order to provide a source of inside light.

"Pi…kapika-pika-pikachu-pika-ka?"

"It's not your fault, Pikachu. We don't know how you got here, so the best thing for you to do was to experience as much of my world as possible without arising suspicion. Besides, it was nice to actually hear responses from a Pokemon, instead of imagining what Chu-chan here would say." She held up the aforementioned Pikachu doll for the real Pikachu to see.

"Pika…Pikachu."

"Now, I don't know if you've been to a school before, but it's an institution where people learn life skills and lessons needed to succeed in life. I can't take any animals into school, much less a Pokemon, so you're going to have to stay here, out of sight. Be good, okay?" She gently rubbed Pikachu's head, before putting on her blue coat. She grabbed a blue and cream messenger bag, and was just about to head downstairs, when Pikachu hopped into her bag. "No, Pikachu! You've got to stay here." The Electric Mouse Pokemon shook his head.

"Pi! Kapika-pika-pikachu-pi!"

"You don't want to be left all alone here. Is that what you're saying?"

"Chu!" Teresa pondered this quandary for a second, before reaching a decision.

"Alright. But you have to stay absolutely quiet, like a church mouse…which you don't know about. Anyway, be silent, and stay in the bag at all times, okay?"

"Pika! Pi-Pika-!"

"SSHH!" Teresa placed her hand over Pikachu's mouth. "There's still Bridget in the house, remember?"

"…Pika…chu…"

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><p>The ride to school wasn't too bad While a nice coat of snow covered the surrounding landscape, it had not snowed in a few days, and the roads were perfectly plowed and salted. As a result, the school bus that whisked Teresa and Pikachu to Paladin Central was right on time in both the pick-up and the drop-off. It was the drop-of location that Pikachu was amazed at. He had seen a school building before, back in the Pokemon world, but those were all small homes meant to educate young trainers. Paladin Central High, meanwhile, was at least two stories tall, and at least five hundred feet across. For the first building. When they entered the institution, Pikachu discovered that the building went back much further, with enclosed hallways connecting other buildings on the campus.<p>

Teresa made a brief stop at her locker, before heading to the music room. For any Paladin Central student taking music, they were required to take two classes of concert band – a zero period before regular classes start, and an eighth period timeslot. Along the way to the music room, a boy walked up alongside her. He was rather tall and lanky, over six feet in height, and had curly dirty blonde hair.

"Hi, Teresa!" The boy greeted.

"Hey Jerry!" Teresa replied. "How was your performance at that Honors Society induction?"

"It went well, although Brittney lost her voice in the minutes before we started. We got lucky, and were able to crank up the speakers for her microphone at the last second."

"That's good…"

"I heard from Britt what happened with that DeJesus guy. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I had a little bit of a distraction that was needed to take care of, so I haven't had too much time to reflect on it."

"How so?" Teresa pondered on how she would cover her rodent friend.

"I got a new pet," she declared.

"Really? What is it? A dog, or a cat…?"

"A mouse. I named it Pikachu." Jerry took a double take.

"You named a mouse after a Pokemon?" Teresa made a face.

"It's my pet; I didn't need your approval!" The two laughed, while Pikachu took silent resentment at being called a pet. They reached the music room just as the low brass was beginning to warm up the band. Jerry went off to the trumpet section, while Teresa went to the front of the room, where the woodwinds and flutes resided. Her seat was in the aisle, so she slipped into her chair, placed her bag underneath, got out her instrument, and prepared for her turn to warm up.

Soon, the band was in full swing, playing a wide list of musical scores. However, Pikachu quickly became bored. Sure, listening to selections from Harry Potter, Phantom of the Opera, and Coldplay was interesting, even though he didn't know who or what they were written for. However, it was rather annoying hearing them stop and fix little tidbits that the Electric Mouse Pokemon knew the average human couldn't hear clear enough to care. So, like any person who would be bored, Pikachu decided to explore. When Teresa looked away to chat with one of the other flute players, he darted out of her bag, and disappeared under the seats.

It was much easier maneuvering around the room than he thought. Backpacks and instrument cases provided an easy cover for the rodent, who scurried around, unseen to the other students. He ran all the way to the end of the row, waited for a violinist to look away, and moved to the next. He repeated this strategy with a clarinetist, and again with a Saxophonist. With only one more row to go before the percussion section in the back of the room, he was almost home free.

**!THUNK!**

As he passed an open trumpet case, Pikachu felt a sharp pain come from his tail. He bit his tongue, shoving the desire to yelp deep within his body, and looked behind to see what had happened. The lid of the case had fallen down on its own accord, and was now pressing down on his tail. The Electric Mouse Pokemon whipped around, and quickly opened the case just enough to free his tail. Breathing a sigh of relief, Pikachu looked up, and quickly froze. He had just gotten stuck in an area where there were no bags to shield him from the eyes of the back row of low brass instruments. And with the music temporarily stopped for the woodwinds to work on a particular section, there was nothing preventing one of the brass players from looking at him.

A pair of brown eyes peered out of a pair of glasses, and fell directly upon Pikachu. The Electric Mouse Pokemon traced the eyes back to a slender, brown-haired trombonist boy that was right in front of him. The boy had the build of a senior, with a full face, and a look of complete surprise as he saw Pikachu.

"Greg, what are you looking at?" Another trombone player began to turn his head in the same direction. Inside his mind, Pikachu cringed. He was about to be discovered by more than just Teresa. The question of why he ever wanted to explore the area came quick into the Pokemon's mind.

"Ah, i-it's nothing!" The first boy, Greg, leaned forward, obstructing the line of sight between Pikachu and the other trombone player. "Now Sean, I want you to look into _The Weasley Stomp_. You still aren't getting the position on that A-flat right. It's done in position three, not two." As the other player fiddled with his slide, trying to get the positioning correct, Greg turned his head back two Pikachu, and mouthed out a "go!" Pikachu didn't need to be told twice; he scampered back the way he came, running straight into Teresa's bag so fast, that it fell into the aisleway. A quick shuffle re-righted the bag, but not before Greg took notice. He was on the end of the aisle as well.

* * *

><p>The end of the day. When everything grinds to an absolute halt in the hallways. Throngs of students clamor the hallways in search of their the lockers before scrambling to their busses. For the lucky ones who don't have to rush to public transportation, it can be a very rough time to travel. If you're in the music program as well, the stampede to the watering hole serves as a nifty excuse to loiter around in the band room after school.<p>

That's where Teresa and Jerry were at the end of the day. More specifically, they were in the equipment room, which was a side room for the storage of larger instruments such as saxophones, trombones, and drums. It was quiet most of the time, which was good for more personal conversations to flourish without interruption, or, in their case, homework to be completed.

"...so if the value of X is 34, and 4X + 12X / 32 = Y, then Y would be…" Jerry crunched the numbers into a calculator. "…17."

"Gotcha," Teresa said. "Number 15 in the vocabulary homework is 'anarchy'." With every answer came a "Thanks," along with the jot of a pencil. A few minutes into today's session, Greg walked in from the hallway entrance, and reached for his trombone case.

"Got a lesson with Coach Geno?" Jerry asked. Greg took the case off the shelf, opened it, and took out a small, clear, empty bottle.

"Nah. Replacing the slide oil." Greg placed a full bottle in the case, before closing it up, and placing it back on the shelf. "Hey Teresa, did you get a chance to read that _Kingdom Keepers_ book I lent you yet?" Teresa nodded.

"I was able to read the first chapter," she told him. "You're right when you hyped up the book; it's really good! I'm reading the next part tonight."

"I thought you would!" Greg smiled. "You are almost as much into Disney as I am!" He then walked into the main band room. Teresa and Jerry went back to work. It should be noted that the three of them were the only people in the music wing at the time. A minute later, Greg returned to the room. "Jerry, Tyler wants you in the choir room. Says that he has video of sorts he wants to show you."

"Oh god," Jerry groaned, stifling a laugh. "What could it be now?" He got up, and left the closet room. That left only Greg and Teresa in the band room section.

"Good. Now that he's away, I can get some answers…" Teresa was confused.

"On what? You've already taken these courses." Greg shook his head, and procured Teresa's bag.

"Not homework answers. I want to know why I had to bail out your little yellow friend here. Oh, and the reason why he exists in the first place." At that, he dumped the contents of the bag. Teresa paled as Pikachu rolled out onto the floor. He looked at Greg, then Teresa, before putting on a sheepish grin.

"Pi…pikachu-kapika-chu?"

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_Can anyone find Pikachu' s Pokespeak for Teresa? Speaking of Pokespeak, it reveals a little spoiler regarding his background. Let's see how long people can find this; it took six months for them to find the principal villain hiding in plain sight in PWS C2._

_Yes, there will be a lot of stories in the future containing the Paladin Central High School set, using a general pool of characters._

_So the cat…er, mouse, is out of the bag. What will Teresa and Pikachu do now that the Pokemon has been discovered? And why is Greg acting so cool about it? Find out next time, so please read and review all my stories in the meantime! Ja ne!_


	3. To the Pokemon League Fan Club

_Gah…I was going to have this up in record time, and FFN just HAD to be screwy…then life got in the way. Oh well, better luck next time, I guess._

_Anyway, before we start, some shameless self-advertisement: The hip, the latest, the newest thing in Pokemon is the _**Pokemon Writers Network**_! We aim for the overall improvement of the Pokemon Fanfiction archive through concrit, writing tips, and the like, as well as to provide Pokémon fans and other trainers to gather, chat, write, make friends, and hang out. If you're interested, check the link in my profile and check us out. Remember, __**Pokemon Writers Network**__: We PWN to improve the Pokemon Fanfiction world._

_With that over and done, let's rejoin Teresa and Greg, not long after the end of the last chapter…_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: To the Pokemon League!...Fan Club<strong>

"Pikachu!" Teresa scolded. "I told you that you couldn't wander around far from me, and look what you do! Be happy that at least it was Greg and not some freshman!" She bonked the Electric Mouse Pokemon in the head.

"Kachu…" Greg chuckled. After he had revealed that he knew about Pikachu, he and Teresa had an impromptu meeting in the equipment room. They closed the doors and set Pikachu behind Greg's trombone case, so that if Jerry did come back from Tyler's video showing that he asked him to do earlier than expected, there would be some time for Pikachu to hide before being discovered again. In the meantime, they had exchanged information on what they knew; Greg on how he knew Pikachu, Teresa on how she met Pikachu.

"You can't blame him for being curious in a new environment," Greg stated. "He's used to traveling with his trainer and exploring all the new surroundings. Speaking of that, there's something that's bugging me."

"What?"

"We know that Pikachu was transferred from the Pokemon World to Terra Firma, our Earth. Since he came here, we know that it is possible to get back there. But how did he get here in the first place? What force, Pokemon, or like machine was able to get our Electric Mouse to change worlds?" He stared at Pikachu, who shrugged.

"Pi…pikachu-pi-pikachu-chu-ka."

"So you don't know either, huh…" Teresa sighed. Greg rubbed his temples.

"This is far too much for the two of us to have to do alone. We need a larger organization, something that we can split tasks into multiple divisions…" He stopped, thinking about what he said. Then he smiled. "Why didn't I think of it before?-!"

"Think of what?" Teresa asked.

"Don't you get it? We need help from a larger organization! You know how I'm head of a high school Pokemon club, correct? Well, if we can introduce Pikachu to the members of the club, we can get them to help us to find a way for Pikachu to return home!" Teresa wasn't so sure about this.

"But didn't you just say that it would be a bad idea if anyone else found out?" she asked. Greg raised a finger.

"I only said that for those who can't keep their traps shut. If we give time to watch the behavior of the members, we can pick and choose who gets what information. It's like LeBron James hitting free agency; there are so many candidates for our needs and services that we can make choices on our terms."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out," Teresa sighed. "What do you think, Pikachu?" The Electric Mouse Pokemon nodded earnestly.

"Chu! Pika-pikachu!"

"That's two votes for a yes," Teresa declared.

"Great! I'll gust get my stuff, and we can head off. Oh, and also I'll tell Tyler that he can release Jerry." He didn't need to; the door opened at this time, and the lanky teen walked in. Pikachu quickly dove behind the trombone case.

"So what did Tyler have to show you?" Teresa asked. Jerry shook his head and sighed, a smile forming on his face.

"It had to do something with people who like, as he put it, anime henati porn." Greg facefaulted.

"Why must I always have to remind him that while all henati is anime, not all anime is henati?-! That's what I get for asking him a favor…"

"What did you say, Greg?"

"Eh, nothing. Anyway, Bridget needs Teresa's help in the store, so she wants her there pronto. I'm taking her over so that it's not a thirty minute walk for her." He grabbed his trombone case. "And I need to practice for my auditions." He walked out, taking the case with him. Teresa nearly panicked when the case was taken away, but Pikachu was nowhere to be found behind the case. She did see a familiar-looking tail drooping down near the name tag, which blocked most of the vision from Jerry's eyes.

"So I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, then," Jerry said to Teresa, as he got his bags.

"Yup. I don't want Bridget to be stuck behind the counter for too long. Customers are sparse in the winter, but there are some pretty nasty spurts, especially if that snowstorm does come in two days."

"And you do the best job that you can serve them." Teresa smiled. Despite what Tyler does to him, Jerry was in very many ways similar to Greg: kind, caring, and supportive. She began to understand why Bridget labeled the two as a potential couple. "I'll see you tomorrow, Teresa."

"Okay, bye Jerry!" The two hugged, and the lanky teen left the closet. Teresa went out into the band room, where Greg and Pikachu were. The former was snapping a few photos of the Electric Mouse Pokemon in various poses using his phone.

"I wonder if I can pass these off for photoshop or another art program…" Teresa sweatdropped.

"I thought you were going to be a sportswriter, not an artist," she stated.

* * *

><p>The meeting place for the club wasn't in the main school building; the club drew from many schools, and needed a more stable location of meeting. North of Teresa's house, on the same side of the lake, was a friend of Greg's. As the three got into Greg's brand new orange Subaru Outback, the senior explained to Teresa and Pikachu that this longtime friend didn't go to Paladin Central, but he was formerly into Pokemon, which is why he agreed to use his basement as a clubroom. The basement was huge, large enough to contain over one hundred members comfortably, which was good considering there were about fifty people in the club.<p>

"It's a good thing that his parents agreed to it," Greg admitted, as they waited for a traffic light to change. "My house has a basement, but it's not furbished because it constantly floods. As well, he house isn't large enough to contain everyone without it." The light turned green, and they crossed Route 23, heading into the suburban section of town.

"So do you really think that your friends can help Pikachu out?" Teresa asked. She held Pikachu in her lap, as if it were a plush doll.

"Would I suggest it if I had any doubts?" he replied. "You know half of the officers in the club already, and the others are their friends and mind. Plus, they specialize in set places in the media, so that if there needs to be a big search, we can hit every area on the network in timely fashion. I certainly trust them more than the Axis Club." Teresa and Pikachu were confused.

"Axis Clubs?"

"Pi?"

"Right, I didn't tell you about the club network. The Pokemon high school clubs are divided up into informal regions that aren't tied down by school allegiances, much like Pokemon are divided by Kanto, Johto, and the like, yet appear in multiple locations. We're in the Northwest Greater New York region – Bergen, Passaic, Rockland, Essex, Union, Hudson, and Morris counties. Recently, these have been further subdivided into two major groups, Allied and Axis.

"We're part of the Allied group, based in Wayne, and thus are called the Pokemon Wayne Network. Up past the border of New York in Pearl River is the South Rockland Pokemon Girls. They're an all-girls group that specializes in the frillier side of Pokemon. Tiffany used to be a part of them, before she got disgusted with leadership and girliness." Teresa eye's brightened.

"You mean Tiffany's in this club as well?" she asked hopefully. Greg nodded, as they neared the large lake in the center of town.

"I told you that you'd know a few people," Greg chuckled. "Anyway, we then have the Meadowlands Aura Guardians based in Newark, formerly the Meadowlands Pokemon Association. They have a few girls, but they are mostly boys. They've done a lot of charity work in the inner city area, hosting tournaments to benefit charities and homeless centers. I actually won the last tournament in Cedar Grove."

"So those are the Allied Clubs. What about the Axis?" Greg slowed down to cross a speed bump.

"Yes," he said darkly, "those clubs. We have the Paterson Pokemon Club in Hackensack, the Hudson County Pokemon Association in Hoboken, and the head of the Axis powers, the Don Giovanni Guild of Mahwah. These co-ed clubs were originally like us, a friendly round-robin of Pokemon loving clubs, but in the past two years, leadership has changed. The clubs have become more militaristic, like big gangs for Pokemon 'lovers.' Their membership has dramatically increased, but they're being fueled by preteen convicts, jocks, and the sons and daughters of radical Occupy movement members. They've already overtaken clubs that used to exist in New City and Bayonne, before we were able to group together into factions; and have been linked to many crimes across the region." They turned up a very steep hill, the car engine straining furiously. "Pikachu, you must stay inside Teresa's bag at all times. We don't know if there's going to be a spy from the other clubs in the meeting tonight."

"Pi!" Teresa was beginning to have second thoughts. She had only wanted to find an answer to Pikachu's mysterious appearance, not an entrance into a gang war…or club war, in this case.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" she asked, concerned. "Is this even a safe idea?"

"No worries, Teresa," Greg assured her. "You've got me behind your back, as well as the rest of the club in case anything happens. I won't let anyone hurt you." Teresa smiled. This was how Greg had always been, caring, accommodating, and helping all of his friends. He was the exact opposite of the boys that she had always been dating, and if only his heart didn't long for another…. Teresa was glad that Greg was still driving; otherwise, the blush on her face might give him mixed signals. Pikachu had noticed, however.

"Kapika-pika?" Teresa simply pressed her pointer finger to her lips, signaling the Electric Mouse Pokemon that it was best that she not explain herself here.

* * *

><p>Minutes later, they were outside of the friend's house. There were several cars parked on the street along with Greg's. The senior rang the doorbell, and within a few seconds, a built-up African-American teen answered the door. Slightly taller than Greg, he had black hair, and wore a blue CC Sabathia t-shirt, jeans, a green Yankees hat, and purple sneakers with yellow laces.<p>

"Yo Greg!" The two boys went into a small bro hug.

"Hey Kyle! What's the status on the membership today?"

"I got word that Sean Biden and Orlando Mesa are both out sick today, and Joe Margucci got rear-ended in the Wendy's drive-through at the south of town, so he's doubtful." Kyle's eyes turned to Teresa. "Who's the girl? You're not a member here…and yet you look so familiar for some reason…"

"She's Teresa Fitzgerald, Bridget's kid. She's sitting in on our meeting under my supervision."

"O-Oh!" Kyle exclaimed. "I was wondering why you looked so familiar. Your photos are everywhere around her store." He shook her hand. "Name's Kyle Dotel, PWN's bouncer and host. A pleasure to meet you!" Teresa giggled at the club's acronym.

"PWN?" she repeated.

"Yup. This club brings complete PWNage to the Axis clubs." This lead to more giggles. "Hey, we weren't the ones who made that title, and we've never had enough votes to change it!"

"Because it's just too good an acronym to pass up," Greg said, smirking. "Kyle used to be part of our club until it interfered with his baseball training regimen. But he still allows us to use his house as a clubground, and has agreed to take over guard duties from Tom."

"Hey, I'm not letting those Axis groups to come in and take the fun away from what's a very fun pastime," Kyle said. "So, are you two ready to head down?" Greg pulled him aside.

"Can we actually leave Teresa's bag in the coat closet?" Kyle stared blankly at him.

"I never knew we collected bags at the door, Greg. What are you, a communist?"

"We don't; however, we have some top-secret information in that bag, and I don't mean that new thing Game Freak wanted us to test out. By the way, did the package for that come?"

"Yes. We have enough for all of the officers. But what could be more secret than those things?" Greg turned back to Teresa.

"He's my non-blood related kin, so he's not going to tell anyone about him. Is that okay?"

"I guess so." Teresa handed the bag over to him, who in turn showed its significant content to Kyle. He went wide-eyed, before calming down.

"I see why this would be an issue if everyone knew. But how -?"

"That's why they're here. We're going to discuss it after the main meeting with the officers, but we can't bring him downstairs, unless we risk discovery from an Axis spy."

"Spy?" Teresa repeated. "It's that bad?"

"You don't know the half of it," Kyle sighed. "You should see what they say about us at their meetings. Anyway, you can use the closet here." Greg handed the bag over to him, and he put it into the bottom of the closet, behind a laundry basket. He then shut the door.

"Under no circumstances should you let anyone except myself," Greg ordered. "If anyone asks, we're guarding Toto while he packs for Kansas."

"Got it. Keep me apprised on the meeting." Greg turned to Teresa, who nodded.

"Lead the way." Greg led her down a few hallways, and into a basement stairwell. The part of the basement where they first entered was furbished with carpeting and woodwork. Turning a few corners, however, was an unfinished expanse that ran for about sixty feet in front, and thirty feet across. In this space was the clubroom for Pokemon Wayne Network. About forty-plus people were busy battling, trading, or chatting about Pokemon games, Pokemon cards, Pokemon anime, and anything else that had to do with Pokemon. A large flat screen TV was on the side of the room, playing a Pokemon episode from the original series. A triplet of folding tables were set up in the back of the room, with folding chairs set up behind them. On the wall above the table were four items: the American flag and the Japanese flag bracketing the crucifix of Jesus Christ, and the logo for PWN underneath the cross. It looked like a coat of arms, with a red and yellow checkered four-panel background. Clockwise from the top-left box, they contained the letter P, the letter W, the letter N, and an orange N halfway inside of a black J, similar to the logo for New Jersey Transit.

Teresa was impressed by this setup. "Nice mancave you guys have here."

"We tend to call it a Pokecave." Greg walked over to a battle that was in process between two people that were very recognizable. One was a girl in her grade that was a few inches shorter than her. She had light blue eyes and wavy black shoulder-length hair that was tied up into a ponytail, and had a grey cloth headband. The other was a boy with short light brown hair and brown eyes. He seemed to be in a bind, with only one Pokemon left…and it was promptly knocked out, ending the battle.

"Gah! Kate!" Several "Ohs!" and "Has!" came from the small crowd around the group. Kate fistpumped the air.

"Hah!" she cheered in a bubbly voice. "Take that, Peter!"

"I-It's not fair!" Peter groaned. "You used two Zekroms in the battle!"

"Actually, that second one was a Zoarak-!"

"I thought you weren't supposed to use the higher legendaries in battles?-!"

"We're not a league-sanctioned tournament, Petey," Greg stated, making his presence known. "You didn't state any conditions as far as I can tell, so you snooze, you lose."

"Greg!" one of the teens exclaimed. Peter's mouth gaped.

"B-But-?-!"

"Your reality is rejected and subsisted with Greg's!" a tall, curly-black-haired teen laughed. He was of Hispanic descent, and wore a red sweatshirt over his uniform that read "Virizion Wireless" with the picture of a Virizion saying, "Can you hear me now?"

"Gah…" Another Hispanic, this time a very short girl with a shoulder-length ponytail, chocolate-brown eyes, slightly lighter skin than the previously mentioned boy, and a rather large chest proportionate for her size, was the first to notice Teresa. She quickly went over to hug her band friend.

"Hey Tiffany," Teresa greeted.

"What are you doing here, Teresa?" she asked. "I know you have Pokemon at home, but didn't you stop playing it?"

"There's some…special…circumstances I'd like the executive board to discuss with afterwards. Are they all here?"

"All present!" a not-as-short girl with short black hair answered. She had misty blue eyes under frameless glasses, and wore a black zipper sweatshirt. She was chunky, but not the obese-and-grossly-overweight chunky, but the cute-like-a-koala chunky. Next to her was a slightly shorter boy with short curly black hair, brown eyes behind a set of black-framed glasses, and a black fleece with the Paladin Central crest on the front.

Ah, Gina, Christian! Didn't see you back there! Well, I guess now we can get this meeting started. It's almost three o'clock." Teresa pulled Greg aside.

"I know that we can trust Tiffany, but I'm not sure about the others, especially Peter and Kate. What's preventing them from telling the media or a parent?"

"The fact that the last two are merely apprentices, and not actually rank-holding members," Greg told her. "We do let sophomores succeed into a position, but they at least have to be a junior to be an executive in our club." Which led to Teresa's next question.

"So who does what?"

"Well, Christian's our treasurer; Tiffany is our secretary thanks to her quick notes; Tom's a crazy whiz for handling the club's public relations; Gina's the best vice-president we've had in a number of years; and that leaves yours truly is the President. Between all of us is the lifeblood of the allied movement in the region. But I digress; we've got to get this meeting started." He began to walk towards the table. The others in the group surrounding Teresa walked over as well, leaving Teresa all alone. Greg noticed this, and brought up another folding chair. "Over here. You get to sit with the big boys on your first meeting."

"But I'm not part of this club or anything…"

"Visitor, member, same difference." Teresa went over and sat down next to Greg. From left to right, the seating was Tom, an apprentice, Christian, Peter, Gina, another apprentice, Greg, Teresa, Tiffany, and Kate. The seats of the apprentices were set back, in order to leave the table

"Alright, we bring this meeting to order…" Greg's words were unheeded. The noise in the basement was so loud that they were simply not heard, and everyone continued what they were doing without taking any notice. "Attention!" One or two people stopped and turned towards the table, but there was no movement en masse.

"Here." Without his asking, Gina gave Greg an air horn. A few members covered their ears, as Greg pointed the horn at the boisterous crowd before him.

**!HOONNNN!-!** Everyone cringed in pain and/or covered their ears, as the room finally fell silent. Their attention captured, the members hastily took seats on the floor or in chairs. Tiffany giggled at the scene of moaning and groaning members, as the last one fell silent.

"Okay," Greg stated once everyone was ready and at attention. "I call today's meeting of the Pokemon Wayne Network into session!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the upstairs closet, Pikachu stared out into the inky darkness of the closet, the only visible light coming from the cracks in the closet door.<p>

"Chuuu…?"

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_Pokemon Wayne Network shares the same initials and slogans as Pokemon Writers Network._

_A phone company gag is in plain sight._

_If you haven't noticed by now, Pikachu's always getting the last word in every chapter. We'll see how long that lasts._

_So next chapter, we delve into the operations of the high-school level Pokemon fanclubs. What mysteries could be solved and discovered? What was the "Package" that Kyle said had arrived? And will Pikachu once again be bored out of his mind? All that and more next time, so review, check my other stories, check the forums…what else…oh yeah, stay tuned! Ja ne!_


	4. Lost and Found Again

_Back again! Yeah, March hasn't gone as planned, but at least I'm able to show something for the month. While this isn't one of my favorite chapters I've ever written, it serves its purpose. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Lost and Found…Again<strong>

Greg looked out over the group of forty-or-so people that were sitting out before him. "Well, it's a minute past 3:30, so let's get down to business. First of all, I apologize for the breach in protocol, but Kyle is busy handling administration-only business that we are discussing after the meeting today." Second, we have a potential new member today sitting in on us today. You guys remember Ms. Fitzgerald's daughter, Teresa, right?" A small group of applause filled the room, as Teresa took Greg aside.

"I'm not even considering joining this yet!" she protested.

"You need a cover," he explained. "It's not every day that a visitor to our little place gets to sit by me." As the applause died down, a hand was raised in the crowd. "Protest, Amanda?"

"Why does a newbie, like, get the preferential treatment now? Is she, like, your girlfriend?" A few catcalls echoed over the walls. Greg blushed uncomfortably.

"Come on, guys!" Gina groaned, bringing everyone back to order. "Greg already has someone else he likes, and he has no need to tell you guys!"

"T-Thanks, Gina," he sighed. Gina flashed a peace sign. "Alright, first order of business today is the minutes of the last meeting. Tiff?" Tiffany had a few papers prepared in front of her.

"Let's see…Meeting started promptly at…" Teresa strangely began to grow tired at that point. It wasn't noticeable to the crowd or anyone at the table, but she found it hard to stay awake, as if something wanted her not to notice the meeting. Whatever it was, it worked. She didn't fall completely asleep, but her mind grew numb, and she couldn't focus on what was going on. The next thing she remembered…

"…Oy, Teresa?" Tiffany waved her hand in front of Teresa's face, trying to get her attention. "Are you awake?" The blond instantly snapped up, alert as ever.

"Huh? Did I fall asleep?"

"You kinda didn't without actually falling asleep," Peter explained.

"The meeting's already over," Gina told her. Teresa looked around. The members of the club were either collecting their things, or were resuming or starting another round of battles and trades.

"Where's Greg?" she wondered.

"He had to get that 'secret package' he told us about earlier," Tom stated. "It wasn't enough that we received a testbed for the new Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 games, but now we have a surprise on our hands."

"Maybe you should splash some water on your faces," Kate suggested. "He said that you were a part of this secret meeting that you guys were a part of, so you've gotta look your best to be awake."

"I was actually considering that," Teresa nodded. "Now, I'm actually going to do it."

"The bathroom's upstairs and around the corner," Christian directed. "Just make sure that Kyle's little brother isn't there."

"Thanks," Teresa replied. She headed upstairs, and rounded a corner. She spotted Greg by the closet, getting her handbag (and Pikachu) out into the bright day. The bathroom was just where Christian had described it. It was modest, comprising of plain white marble and silver faucets. She turned on the cold water, and splashed her face. The icy temperatures instantly woke her senses to the highest alert.

However, the pink shape that floated by the bathroom window was ignored by her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, contrary to what Teresa had thought, Greg hadn't gotten Pikachu out to everyone already. In fact, he hadn't seen the Electric Mouse Pokemon at all. The senior had looked in the hamper, the pocketbook, and the shelving, but there was no sign of him anywhere.<p>

He turned to his best friend and club bouncer. "Are you absolutely certain that nobody was let into this room? He's not anywhere to be found?" Kyle nodded.

"I didn't let any unauthorized permission to any…" He suddenly remembered something, and facepalmed. " Dammit!"

"What is it?"

"My grandmother had to get in there to get some laundry ten minutes ago," Kyle explained. "I can't block her from entering!"

"I didn't expect or want you to, but now we got a problem. Check the washing and drying machines for him."

"On it!" He hurried off to the laundry room, just as Teresa returned from the bathroom.

"Where's your friend going?" she asked.

"Pikachu decided to run off on us. Again."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I swear that he has a mischievous side not seen in the anime."

"Who has a mischievous side?" Tom asked. He and the other heads had come up the stairs.

"Negi. Have you seen how many times he super-sneezes when there's a group of girls with him?"

"Uhhh…yes?" he didn't know how to respond to the question. Kyle returned from the laundry room.

"No sign of the Pik-ah, Toto," he announced .

"The what?" Gina questioned.

"The thing I wanted to show you guys," Greg explained. "But we accidentally left it back in Teresa's house, so we can't show you now. I'm going to get Teresa home. You guys wait here until the kick-out time, and then head home. I'll show you guys what I wanted to present after Friday's meeting." He got his coat. "Let's go, Teresa."

"Right. We don't have much time to lose." They headed out a side entrance, off to Greg's car.

"That's completely strange," Gina thought aloud. "Usually, Greg's always the first and last person here. Yet here he is, cutting and running in order to get Teresa home. Maybe I was wrong to defend him earlier."

"No way!" Tiffany objected. "He may be a gentlemen, but he does have issues when asking out people. Besides, he already has his eyes and heart on Alex, not that his mouth is in accord."

"Kyle, you were confided on this package," Christian noted. "Anything you can tell us?"

"Not really," Kyle admitted. "Greg wants me to keep everything tight-lipped involving Codename: Toto."

"So it's something that's lost," Gina presumed. "Otherwise, you two wouldn't be using the Wizard of Oz to talk about it."

"But what?" Tom wondered.

"Find out next Friday." Kyle told them. "Or just wait until we reach that particular chapter…"

"For what?"

"Er, nothing…" As the back and forth between Kyle and the four officers continued, Peter and Kate came up the basement stairs. Peter had a black and white marching band warm-up jacket on, while Kate wore a powder blue jacket with a white stripe.

"Wonder what they're talking about," Kate wondered. Peter shrugged, and they headed out of the house. Instead of the side entrance, however, they went out the main door in the front. When they reached the door, they found it slightly ajar. In the snow bank that was just outside, a fresh set of tracks led away from the door, towards the street. Greg's car passed, heading straight through a small intersection.

"It looks like Kyle's cat went out for a walk," Peter noted.

"Maybe – maybe we should tell him," Kate suggested. Peter shook his head.

"They're cats, Kate. They go in and out all the time." He paused. "Although…"

"Although what?"

"Don't you find it strange that Greg and Teresa conveniently have to leave after they talked with Kyle? Maybe he told them to look for his cat."

"Could be. But – but look! They're heading away from the tracks." Indeed, while Greg had driven straight through the intersection, the tracks crossed the street, and made a left at the intersection, heading down a steep grade towards the lake.

"You're right. It's also not the best of conditions to be out in. The forecast said that there's more snow coming tonight."

"Let's head down and see if we can find her!" Peter disagreed with Kate.

"No. My parents are coming to pick us up in five minutes."

"Aw, c'mon, Peter! We'll be back in time!"

"No!" Kate clasped her hands together, and did her best impression of a puppy face.

"Please? For me?"

"Well…" Peter had a hard time resisting. "…fine."

"Yay! Let's go already!" Kate grabbed her friend's hand, and dragged him along.

"Wait, Kate! You're going to –!" Peter lost his balance, and promptly fell into a pile of snow.

* * *

><p>"We've checked the entirety of the north side of the lake," Greg recapped, as he made a left turn. "We've found nothing leading us to Pikachu anywhere. You'd think that something that's yellow would really stand out in the snow."<p>

"Granted he's also a little thing," Teresa reminded him. "We could have passed him countless times now!" They approached a very familiar parking lot.

"We're overthinking this. Let's head back and…is that Bridget?" Outside was Bridget's store. It was a quaint one-story house that had been converted into a convenience store. Bridget, in a brown fur coat, was looking at the roof, her hand to her face, as if she was pondering something. "Wonder what's up…" He pulled into the snowed-in parking lot. The big Forester made deep, crunching tracks as it punched through the drifts. Bridget turned around as the car pulled up by her. Greg rolled down the driver's window.

"Good afternoon, Greg." She noticed Teresa in passenger's seat. "Teresa? What are you doing with Greg? Don't tell me you two are on a date, hmm?" The two immediately blushed in panic.

"B-Bridget?-!" Teresa stammered. "A-Absolutely not!"

"Besides, you know that I like Alex," Greg explained, with much more composure. "Though I'm still working on how to admit it to her…" Bridget giggled.

'"I'm only joking, you two!" She turned her attention back to the roof. "Besides, I have other things to worry about."

"What's the matter?" Teresa asked.

"Well, a few minutes before you arrived, a group of teens threw something onto the roof. I don't think it's anything serious, since it made a metal clattering sound when it hit the roof, but it got stuck in the gutter as it was coming down. I would get my ladder, but it's buried under a few feet of snow currently." Greg frowned. He spotted the metal tin in the gutter, about ten feet off the ground.

"Teens, huh…I'll be happy to get that down for you. Teresa, can you get out for a second?"

"Huh? Uh…sure." Teresa stepped out of the car, and walked through the cold white snow towards her stepmother. Greg moved his car parallel to the roof, directly under the gutter. He then got out, walked around to the passenger side, and climbed up onto the roof of the car. He was then able to easily retrieve the metal box.

"Amazing, Greg!" Bridget applauded. Greg was beginning his descent down, when he paused, and looked towards the south end of the lake. As he did so, his foot slipped out from under him, and he fell straight back into a pile of snow. The metal box flung out of his hand, and landed only a few feet away from the two girls.

"Greg!" Teresa gasped. The two ran over to the senior, who slowly got up.

"I'm fine. I fell into a snowbank. What of the box?" They walked over to the metal box, which landed in a patch of dirty snow. Picking it up, Greg opened the box. Inside was a single sheet of computer paper.

"It's a letter," he said. It read:

Stop supporting the Pokemon Wayne Network

In one week; otherwise, we will take

Serious action against this supporter of

The club in wrongful violations of the

Established rules of Pokemon Battles

Brendan Roberts, Don Giovanni Guild

"More like a death threat to me," Bridget reasoned. "It's that no-good Roberts kid again! Let me tell you how much he's harassed this business in the last three weeks!"

"We'd love to," Greg insisted, "but we're actually going over to Kasey's house to watch a movie. We're seeing the Wizard of Oz."

"Oz?" Bridget was confused. "I don't understand what kids like you will see in that movie, but I'm not one to get picky. You two have a good time. Just bring Teresa home before I get there."

"Will do, Bridget," Teresa assured her. She kissed her foster mother on the cheek. "Love you."

"As do I." Greg and Teresa got back into the car, and drove back onto the main road. Teresa noted that Greg was driving faster than before.

"We need to get to the dam as soon as possible," he stated. "The reason I slipped was because I thought I saw a patch of yellow near the dam. And there's only one creature we know of that has yellow fur."

* * *

><p>The dam that Greg was talking about was a low dam constructed to create Packanack Lake. It was of earthen construct, lined with stones on either slope. Part of the dam lowered on the east side, allowing water to spill over should the water level rise too high. A roadway ran alongside the dam's base, its sidewalk taking the high road and running on the top of the dam.<p>

Around the time that Greg and Teresa got back on the road, Kate and Peter were walking on the top of the dam. The tracks had led them down the hill, to the south end of the lake, and over to the dam.

"Brrr…" Peter was still numb from his encounter with a snow pile. "Can we just go back now?"

"No!" Kate protested. "We already came this far. Turning back is not in the equation."

"Women…" The tracks wandered back and forth off the path, until it ended in a snow pile. It appeared that whatever left the tracks had stumbled into the drift by accident, and was now stuck.

"Should you pull it out, or should you?" Peter grumbled.

"Just because I have gloves and you don't doesn't mean that you can throw me into snow all day!"

"Nyeh!" Kate stuck out her tongue. "Just do it!"

"Fine, fine…" Peter relented. He placed his hand in the snow, but almost immediately retracted it. "Ow!"

"What's up?"

"Some sort of static electricity, I think…" He looked into the hole. "Um, Kate? You know more about animals than I do, so remind me what animals have yellow fur."

"Yellow? None that live around –" She stopped when Peter pulled out a yellow mouse, with a familiar yellow lightning tail. The two blankly stared at the rodent, and it looked back at them. An orange car pulled into the parking lot of a tennis court across from the dam.

"Pi…Pika-chu?"

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Kate?"

"If you're seeing a Pikachu right in your hands, then yes, I am seeing what you are seeing."

"Kachu?"

"Kawaii!" Kate giggled. "It's so cute!" A thwomp was heard behind them on the dam.

"Baka snowbank…" Greg muttered, as he got up and climbed to the top of the dam, with Teresa following shortly behind. Greg was dusting the snow off of his jacket when he saw Kate, Peter, and looked at Pikachu, who was still in Peter's hand, and facepalmed. "And it just got worse…"

Pikachu jumped out of Peter's grasp, and wandered over to Teresa. "Pika-Kapika! Chu-pikachu-pikachu!" Teresa was surprised and upset.

"Pikachu! Didn't you learn from earlier that you can't run off?" She bopped the Electric Mouse Pokemon on the head.

"Pi! Pika-chu, chu-chu-pika-ka!"

"Whatever that means…" Kate put a few facts together.

"So – so this meeting…it was to show Pikachu!"

"You guys can't tell anyone," Teresa told the two. "We can't have the wrong people knowing about him, _despite his best intentions_…"

"Ka…"

"But this – this is so much awesomeness!" Peter exclaimed. "A Pikachu here in New Jersey! Every Pokefan should be able to know about this!"

"Tell, and I'll tell everyone about the secret relationship between you two." Everyone jerked their heads over towards Greg. "Simple as that."

"Ka-Kate and I – we aren't in a relationship!" Peter protested.

"It's too obvious," Greg disagreed. "You two always hang out in the lobby, right next to each other. You two always share the bus seat when we go away for marching band events. And Sam heard you refer to Kate as your girlfriend at least twice."

"We-we're not covering up any-!"

"Kate, even I can see it," Teresa admitted. "You don't even need to tell me, and I know." The two sophomores looked at each other.

"Guess we can't fool anyone, huh?" Peter sighed. Kate nodded.

"Seems so," his girlfriend said. She turned to her two friends. "I'm guessing that you two want Pikachu back, huh?"

"It would be helpful," Greg stated. "It's not the best idea to have him out in the open like this. You guys need a ride back? I know that your mom was supposed to pick you two up at Kyle's."

"No thanks. I told my mom to meet us by the firehouse. We'll be seeing you. Bye Pikachu!"

"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu waived to the two sophomores, who turned around and walked further down the dam.

"Let's get going as well," Greg said to Teresa. "We've got to get Pikachu out and away from the open."

"Right," she nodded. "I never saw that side from you before."

"What side?"

"You blackmailed Peter and Teresa into keeping silent about Pikachu. You're usually the person who stops such tactics from happening."

"And I still am. But between that or having constant cameras in our faces, which would you rather choose?"

* * *

><p>"You, my fine yellow-furred friend, are one mischievous little troublemaker." It was late at night, right before Teresa was to go to sleep. She was wearing blue cotton pajama bottoms with a white T-shirt. She laid on the bed, causing the area where Pikachu was standing on to bend inward towards the girl.<p>

"Kachu-?-!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon stumbled into Teresa's belly. The blonde giggled.

"You at least know how to make me forget about all of what happened," she told him. "Good night. Make sure to hop into the drawer." With that, she went fast asleep.

Pikachu couldn't understand girls. Not from when he first started traveling, to the last moments of being in the Pokemon World, to now. He shrugged, and scattered to the drawers where he now made his temporary residence. Soon, he too joined Teresa in the world of dreams.

"Pi…Pi…Pi…"

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_Cut out of the chapter was the meeting scene. It was originally supposed to be the full meeting, with Pikachu going missing in the next chapter. However, I got stuck with possible ideas for the meeting._

_Also cut out: The special item was originally going to be a game disk system similar to the ones in Yu-Gi-Oh!, but during production, it was deemed that it would only drag the plot down if that element was added._

_Fourth wall isn't very strong today, is it?_

_So now two more people know about No. 025. And there's an entirely different problem looming on the horizon. So what will be of our friends? Easy. Just R&R, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Ja ne!_

_KKid_


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